Pelham Student Wins Annual Brain Bee

Emily Xue, a Pelham Memorial High School junior, came in first place at the 6th annual Brain Bee, held February 1 at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

This local championship for the Brain Bee is an annual, not-for-profit neuroscience competition for high school students and is designed to encourage them to learn more about the brain while inspiring them to pursue careers in neurology and neurological research.

The contest is open to all students in grades 9-12. At the event, the students are quizzed on subjects such as human neuroanatomy, neuroscience, types of diagnoses and brain cell identification by a distinguished panel of clinicians and therapists from Burke. This year, over 40 students registered for the event, coming from high schools throughout Westchester and Long Island, including Scarsdale, Briarcliff, White Plains, Pelham, Stepinac and Solomon Schecter.

“The Brain Bee is a great opportunity for budding neuroscientists to test their knowledge while also learning more about the brain and nervous system,” says Janet Goodman, LMSW, case manager for Burke’s Brain Injury Program and coordinator for the Brain Bee in Westchester. “These young women and men will be the future of neuroscience and this competition helps expose them to the profession and find out how they can be a part of helping discover cures for injuries and illnesses that affect millions of Americans.”

Local Brain Bees make up the first qualifying round in the International Brain Bee competition. The winners then move on to compete in the national Brain Bee in Washington, D.C. The winner from the U.S. finals will go on to compete in the international championship later in the year.